dterrick

Our oldest skydiver (71 shortly) is also "the" guy who freeflies on our DZ. Would it ever be cool to have a "Grandpa" like Pat

...spoken as a 15 year veteran of sports car racing (and with a bored Subaru Mechanic a a fellow racer) go withthe Sub if you want Japanese reliability. You wanna go really nuts? Get the WRX version. It is the street legal rally car and it will take rain, sleet, snow, dirt, etc etc, without thinking. No undue slam on the Chuvvy, you will not go broke driving a bus on your commute to DZ. I drove VW for years and BMW's still run in the family (not new ones, them'z for rich folk ) and as good as the new VR6 is, I skipped on an off-lease Audi A4 1.8T because (get this...) It costs 50k C$ new, is worth 24k off a 3 year lease,and the one owned by a professional engineer client of mine (well maintained) "was in the shop too much so he traded it in early. the VR-6 might be fast, but start thinking in jump ticket terms when the service bills arrive Dave T PS: Used Hondas (Hondii?) are wonderful cars, too Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Which Carrera helmet do you use? i just can't justify spending $200 on a helmet I found a jpeg of my lid @ http://www.carrerasport.com/products/index.php3 $90 Cdn in January Called an "explorer 2" today - last month's graphics were a bit different Dave PS: you DO remove the goggles clip from the rear of the helmet to avoid snags (no biggie). Also FYI, I test fitted an OLD STYLE dytter in the ear pocket and it fits - - -but to hear it you need to blank off the "vent holes". PPS: A set of sony sports headphones and an MP3 player and you have "inflight entertainment" ... X countries don't need to be boring Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

NEEEHHT! "...Oh, I'm sorry, will that be the five minute arguement or the full half hour?" Dave T Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

...Some words from one with many years of sports car racing and instruction and thus many years in heavy full face helmets.... I wear a snowboard helmet with integral ear protetction. It just so happens that this Carrera helmet was onlt $30 more than a protec. It has a FISA (skiing 'Snell') rating meaning it has been designed and tested "for winter sports such as skiing and snowboarding". It has a solid foam liner much like a Z1 or others.(I also wear polycarbonate framed goggles, not Kroops or similar). If a skiier can hit an icy slope at 70-100 mph and slide, bouncing into fencing, moguls, etc, well, ... been there done that, didn't have the helmet then A FOAM LINER THAT ACCURATELY FORMS TO YOUR HEAD SHAPE WILL GIVE THE BEST PROTECTION AGAINST A BLUNT STRIKE. (did you hear that?) If you're safety conscious, step up from a helmet that has "computer hardware packing foam" as a liner (WAG). A FULL LINER and EAR protection (no half shell styles, please) will be your friends. Add 'framed' goggles that can protect your eye from a fist or a rock (ask me why ) and about all you have left exposed is your jaw. If you biff hard enough to break your jaw it's likely only one of many bones snapped (no beer bought yet) and most likely the least of your worries. Considering that the outer shell of any helmet is there ONLY to protect the form-fitted impact absorbing material next to your skull, I suggest looking at THAT part of a helmet first. If the shell blows up and you survive a biff, write a thank-you letter to the manufacturer! Blue Skies Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

I jump one as a MAIN !! It's an old one (circa '91) with hundreds of jumps over and above the 75 or so I've "endured". This sucker likes Ska! I was slammed so many times learning to pack it that I killed ALL 4 slider grommets, the slider, and stress damaged a riser! I'm either bulletproof or stupid (and I'm not THAT young) but I've had line twists on opening only 3 times and not that many more off-headers. With its age and my loading at at nearly 1:1 the glide slope at anything but full drive can be quite steep (think round in some wind ), but I have yet to blow it up - or be required to buy the 'bones Beer' Dave T PS: my as-yet-untested reserve is a Strong Stellar. Same colour....what mal? Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

...especially when it is your FIRST reserve ride (jump #20) and you have to chop from terminal. Now I jump a tired Raven II as a main and if I get the flare timing wrong it feels just like landing a round . It can open just as hard, too . Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

...yup, been there and done that, same result under a Raven II. I think you had line dump and/or asymetrical body position at slightly superterminal. We have one Hornet that flies (Dan's not that current but has a fair number of jumps) our DZ. He had LT problems last outing that was traced to poor body position causing the bag to spin and/or an uneven inflation (Master Rigger's words). My Raven issue turned out to be line dump. I have microlines but the D bag was rigged with med. elestics that I double stowed. Slam, slam, slam. Then I tried the black ones double stowed. Nice, nice, SLAM. A whole bunch of other rigging and packing tricks later we finally went for the obvious... teeny tiny elastics with ONE stow. Yes, PITA to pack, but I will never double stow microlines again. ...More details if you'd like but I think you might have had a one-off hard opening not soon to be repeated./ Blue Skies Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

... I've got 102 jumps and 75 of them have been under a Raven II at 0.95:1. What's this one doing? Maybe I can help. Blue Skies Dave PS: mine's been back to the factory within 100-150 jumps due to a canopy collision so I suspect my line trim is still reasonably close. Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

My Rule is 1500 ft. My other 'rule', though while on solo is pull at 3k. This gives me time to play AND to get back from a long spot. My canopy is a older Raven II so it's not a great long distance cruiser. It also opens faster than a Sabre so I don't burn up much alti. My logic in all this is that, if you pull at 2200 (say out of an RW dive) any high speed mal is going to bring you to 1500 at terminal. You will need 2-300 ft. to open a reserve. Now you're at a grand or so, NOT where you'd like to be, and it's time to land a sinking canopy that you've never flown before. The difference between a spinning mal at 1500 and a total might be 100 feet or so. Why change your procedure for such a small difference? As for 'other' things like hook turns etc., well, since I'm not there yet... Dave PS: I successfully wrapped the Raven into twists - once - at about 3,000. For as fast as it happened and as long a it took to beat them out I'm glad I had the alti. to play with Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

...so as I'm looking at the specs the "max rec." weight of a 170 is only 205 lbs, a 1.21 wingloading. If they mean RECOMMENDED weight, I'm cool as I'm 205 out the door and right on the numbers. Is that what their posted "max #'s" really means? Blue Skies Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

***Remember 90% of reserve ride for openings mals is with pull out systems.*** ...but it also may be that somewhere around 90 percent of rigs have pullouts vs. puds. It's amazing how you can make numbers say anything Havng burbled once on a pullout, ultimately resulting in a cutaway, I still use a BOC. Our DZO jumps a PUD but only makes gear suggestions on a case by case basis, and it would mostly revolve around freeflying etc, where a premature deployment would be extra-bad - - ...and now you've opened the 'which container ' debate Blue Skies Dave Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Blue Skies Ducky! I emailed Icarus for a quote on a brand new Hornet. I was shocked at the result considering every time I see something quoted in $USD I need to multiply by 1.6. Here, a "decent" used Sabre will cost me just shy of $1500 and a new one nearly double that (remember we also pay higher income taxes than you 'mericans so we're starting to talk about some serious jump tickets lost here ... ... ... even for USED gear! The Hornet... just shy of $1350, airmailed to my door, taxes and duty paid. ...what decision? Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

...nope, sit rocks harder! If you kick out the Lazy-Boy early into a backfly and pull a 180 you get a great view of the plane leaving (C-182) and the tandem that follows...

Here in the Great White North (Canada, eh?) the standard scenario is ALWAYS cutaway. Part of this is CSPA BSR's re TAS RSL and AAD but it sticks with you. I had to chop on jump #20 on opening weekend. PC in tow (5 count, nothing, main tray still full, p/c gone) and the re-pull action de-burbled me. I was already on the handles when activation started - but the Cruiselite actually SNIVELLED on me. Did I chop, or did I simltaneously experience inflation - and thus unintnetionally cutaway from inertia? I still don't know because the RSL beat my reserve pull. Either way, if I had simply pulled reserve I'd likely have had 2 out and a totally different issue to deal with. After 99 jumps (and 100 deployments ), and 23 consecutive weekends at DZ, I 've heard and seen lots of opinions. I've watched Cutaway too, and have heard the dissenting comments on some of their 'gospel'. In fairness, they DO offer both sides of the coin on most issues. However, the most basic (again FJC grounding) premise is ...if it's not there and square, then it is bad, chop chop... If I found myself at terminal below 1500 with no Cypres I bet I'd still cutaway. PULL ALTITUDE is also important in a high speed mal. My Raven (let's face it, it's a Reserve designed to open fast) has taken all my Master Rigger's tricks to slow it down and to do so with consistency. Until this weekend, we were in the "it opens like a Sabre" range. But, this weekend, I had TWO 1,000 foot snivels consecutively. Now I understand most or all the side issues around RW and pull altitudes but if I were waiting till 2200 and then had a Super-Snivel... a) I think I'd be scared shitless and go for a riser tug if not right for the handles (already on them as a habit from Spank-O-Rama and RW canopy avoidence drills) b) I'd want to know that I had NO possibility of having 2 out by accident. A Cypres is now withing firing range and it cares not about the main. A straight reserve deployment might dump the reserve into an opening main making a real mess - not cool. After all, there is not generally an option 3. If a successful reserve deployment is dependent on the "extra" 1 second (and 174 ft +/-) it takes to locate the cutaway pillow you may as well be playing Russian Roulette. Ok, OK that's harsh, but DAMMIT there's no 'pause' button on Gravity. ...and it's very poor form to go in without every handle pulled! $0.02 (Cdn) Blue Skies Dave Terrick ...your first cutaway is like your second Birthday...! Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Blue Skies, and quick replies

HELLLP! I'm falling at terminal and scared to pull cause it might hurt (again). My Raven II (I know I know, what can I expect...all the Master Rigger mods have been made to soften the openings) now opens similar to a Sabre 210 that I used as a backup last skills camp. As a former sports car racer I welcome the leg-numbing G forces of a good spiral but it's just too much work to do regularly under a tired 7 cell. As of yet, I'm not stuck on the idea of big swoops (but after I get a little taste...) I'm more concerned with PREDICTABLE openings and serious performance when I go on a hop'n pop from altitude. Here's my question(s) to you all... 1) Has anyone else jumped from 7 cell F-111 to 170 class 9 cell zero-P (any canopy) and what are your comments? 2) Sabres are easy to find and reasonably priced used, but Sabre 2's are not (yet). Who could offer an alternative to the comment that "the Sabre 2 is like a Stiletto with the bad habits removed" - I like the idea of quick turns and good glide, but DEFINITELY not for the money a new one costs if it will spank with any frequency - as some reviews suggest STILL happens. 3) The snivel School. I've grown so accustomed to instant openings that almost ALL of my canopy rides (remember, I like canopy rides) have been at LEAST 2500' verticals (except RW, I iniate deployment at 3 because I like flying). Am I likely going to want to open at tandem height for fear of a streamer? I'm interested in personal opinions as I am from a small DZ that flies a lot of Sabres and Stilettos (and I've SEEN a lot of funky openings). What's hiding out there that I've missed? ...Anybody? Blue Skies ...the only 'Dave' on the DZ and as yet un-nicknamed Life is very short and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friend (Lennon/McCartney)

Yaaay! Thanks Bill! EXACTLY what I was taught at FJC last Septermber ('check' on 5, there square steerable, or go to emergency). Jump #20 (#5 of the weekend and the year) on Earth Day I did EXECTLY what you just suggested. Yes, normally it takes nanoseconds to feel the snatch, and by then I can feel confident in looking up as I will be feet down. J#20 gave me nada. It was about 20F at 7500 (on a 20 sec delay, std. progression) - 'check' included a second pull (BOC) fearing a lost handle or PC in tow. BOC empty, Main tray full ...Baaad thing right? My tasks were complete early so I was square and stable at 5k AGL and waited a 5 count before pulling (why push it yet?). I KNEW that at 'check' that I was at about 3 traveling at terminal and Ground Rush was lurking for the first time. "I'm not goin in, AAD be damned, this is MY ride" so I went for the handles. Simultaneously I got snatched feet down and saw only a high slider - either I chopped (RSL and 2 handle system) on purpose or I had a loose pillow and it went accidentally. Either way, I was under a round at 2500 - I thought I'd gone deaf for a moment but it was the most beautiful sound I'd never heard... Watching my main (CL 220 student gear) float away with the slider still up was reeeallly strange - I still thought I had a mal at that point. Over the Beer, JM and DZO determined I chopped a perfectly good main. K, fine, I STILL would not hang around waiting for a bad canopy to become good at near terminal. Before the beer, I was back on the "Existential Elevator" , having felt that I either Cheated Mr. Death or cheted myself out of a canopy ride. Either way, I passed the test(s) and heard only encouraging words from the Seniors and was cleared to Altitude. This weekend past I was doing 35's from the cieling.... I watched that Cruiselite VERY closely after snatch - and yes, it DOES take 2-3 seconds from what I saw to what I needed to see. Next thought for you all , if I had waited I'd have been at close to 2000 AGL. Would anybody else out there have had the presence of mind to deal with 2 out (round and square) having just delt with one violent opening (when the FXC on your rental gear fires early)?!? If the fricking snow doesn't keep coming back I'll be cleared off student status this weekend. The rig I have commissioned out of the JM & DZO's 'tickle trunk' includes a 2 year old Stellar 160 SQUARE reserve and a Raven II for a main. go ahead guys, ask me how easy it is to 'fly' a round back to DZ when you don't get the chance to deploy and correct for the wind line and the winds are blowing you off DZ toward the stuff they warn you about in PIM-2A :) Dave Terrick -Toadi Acceleratio Semper Absurda